Bob Long

On Saturday, February 3rd, with family members by his side, Bob Long died peacefully at his home in Bastrop Texas at the age of 76. Services will be held 1:00pm Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at Bastrop Providence Funeral Home.  Interment will follow at Upper Cedar Creek Cemetery. He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Sue (Lockwood) Long, daughters Karen Long, Lisa (Jim) Blackwell, son James (Erica) Long, granddaughters Courtney (Cole) Williams, Hadley Long, Tracey Blackwell, grandsons Alan (Jessica) Long, Landon Long, and Travis Blackwell. Bob lived life to the fullest, up until his very last day. During the last few months, he faced the challenges of a terminal illness with uncommon courage and an unwavering focus on family and friends. His last week was a virtual parade of the huge family of friends he loved. To all of you who were able to come visit him, thank you so much. We will all miss him, but the stories live on. In no uncertain terms, Bob told us to laugh and remember the good times had with him. No tears. You could describe Bob as a rodeo cowboy, a pasture cowboy, a hunter, a pipefitter, an avid reader, and a number of other things. But most of all, he was a family man and a true friend. The kids loved their PaPa. He had a way of making whoever he was with feel special and important. The knack for making hard work or hard times more bearable - even fun, sometimes - rubbed off on those around him. As the end of his life approached, the reflections among his family and friends were consistent. Most of the conversations were variations of, “Never a dull moment,”  “The life of the party,” “Very generous,” “He is a good man,” “He was one of my favorites,” “He is a real friend,” “He is a hell of a man,” or “He’s a good sumbitch.” If you understand the last one, you probably knew him well.  Almost everybody had a funny story to tell about their time with him. Somehow, even a regular old day turned into an adventure when you were with Bob. Many of us who were close to him also had a touching story about his good heart and his ability to notice something in us no one else saw.   Remember Bob. Laugh a lot. No tears.